Following on from this post,
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/forum-update/page/44/#post-9837589
Finally one of the hardest lessons I have learned in customer relations, project delivery and project cock ups is that you write your combative and defensive reply, file it somewhere and then do the slightly apologetic one.
I thought I'd share this masterclass in Public Relations that I've just stumbled across. (Read the comments.)
Ah! Not the medical term.
I'm just perpetually bemused by people's fear of the word "sorry".
It's a very easy word to say, it's one we're taught to say from a very young age, and it goes a long way to de-escalate any tension.
Obviously there's quite a distinction between "sorry", and "sorry, but..."
zokes
I’m just perpetually bemused by people’s fear of the word “sorry”.
It’s a very easy word to say, it’s one we’re taught to say from a very young age, and it goes a long way to de-escalate any tension. Obviously there’s quite a distinction between “sorry”, and “sorry, but…”
Perfectly put, we all forget things. Make mistakes. Underestimate a task but the simple act of saying sorry
(I forgot/got it wrong/it was more complicated than I thought) often gets people on your side and only too willing to help.
Oi Cougar that snippet sells for a decent amount in my Mike is awesome you should be too lectures, I need 10%....
Conversely, people who say "it is regrettable" or "it is unfortunate" when they know they should say sorry may find themselves the unfortunate recipient of a punch on the schnoz, which would be regrettable.
Politicians are particularly prone to this, but it seems that they're not the only culprits
I'm a project manager in a pretty high-stakes environment (medical research).
My observation is is that saying sorry (or not) actually doesn't change who's fault it was - which is usually obvious to all involved anyway. As the PM, most things are indirectly your fault anyway.
If you step forward and say sorry - and it WAS your fault, everyone is friends again and you can start fixing it.
If you step forward and say sorry - and it WASN'T your fault, you look magnanimous, and everyone is grateful (particularly the person whose fault it actually was). Anyway, you can always follow it up with an email to your boss explaining what actually happened.